Of Hoops and Holists
by SamKo
Summary: Steven had left more than just a Pokéball and a letter. ORASverse.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! The premise and plot of this story has been in my brain for weeks now, it's just been a matter of hashing it out into a story, which I know many of you are familiar with. I just started this new semester of classes and work, so I'm still figuring out a schedule to publish chapters, but if you have a preference, I would love to know. This is my first attempt at writing a chaptered Pokémon story, so I hope you enjoy this first chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

**I'd also like to thank users **EndlessStorm** and **PastaLiberation**, as they have made me feel welcome into writing fanfiction again and are pretty much the inspiration to take the time out of my life to put this story together. It's been a long time since I've written fiction, and a lot of my older work is especially juvenile, so any critiques on my writing are definitely appreciated.**

**So without further ado, here's Chapter One!**

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><p><em>Of Hoops and Holists - Chapter One<em>

_Steven had left more than just a Pokéball and a letter._

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><p><em>A letter, and a pokeball?!<em>

_Really?!_

May walked back to the front door and turned the lock, turned her back to he door, and slunk down. She owed him at least that much, she supposed, and no one needed to see her in his home, in this sad and sorry condition. The pokéball tight in her hands and her legs pulled up to her chest, she pressed the pokéball to her forehead, and shed a tear. May almost felt as though she didn't have a reason to be sad, but she felt cheated. Steven had said to meet back up at his place at some point because he had something for her. Because of that, she had an expectation of actually meeting up, not finding a pokéball and a letter, and a letter with much ambiguity, at that. She guessed she should check and see what Pokémon was waiting for her, but right now, she had too many feelings to unpackage before doing anything else. Where the hell had he gone? Why did he leave? Why couldn't he say goodbye properly? Why did he have to leave a letter that felt purposefully dubious as if he didn't want to be found? If May didn't know any better, she'd say this was a Dear John letter, essentially. Or at least, sitting here on his floor, letter in hand, that's what this felt like.

She set the pokéball down at her side and lifted her head up, looking around his front room. Steven had barely lived here to begin with. Aside from his fantastical stone collection, he lived quite plainly. For someone who had so many adventures and was so passionate about exploring, the only mementos he kept were stones. No pictures, or souvenirs of other kinds, just stones. Maybe it was typical, then, that he was so easily capable of just flying off and away (probably literally with Latios or Skarmory) and living off of the land wherever he pleased. It wasn't like this house was really a home. It was an address, a place to claim residency, so for the public he could "stay on the map" when really, he was doing the complete opposite. Steven was almost never in the same place for long. Money was never an issue either, after all, when your father was the head of the most successful company of technological advances in Hoenn. He could freely come and go whenever and wherever he wished.

But the last time that they had talked, Steven seemed to have made it clear that he wasn't going to take off right away. But just what was it that he had said? He had babbled a bit about wanting to see the world, to walk it with his own two feet. May sort of figured he had been speaking purely hypotheticals and aspirations, not actual plans that he would act upon. And again, May was under the impression that she had mattered on _some_ level, that there was something they had to talk about, that Steven had something important to share with her.

Well, obviously not important enough that he couldn't wait to share it in person. No, of course not. She had a key to his place, "for emergency purposes," and after all of the gifts he shared with her after almost every time they ran into each other, and everything they had been through together with the eco-terrorists threatening Hoenn and the whole episode with Rayquaza and Deoxys, of course she thought they were some whole other level of relationship that definitely beat out "acquaintance."

Tilting her head to the side with a bittersweet smile and salty tears still lacing her eyes, May stared at the pokéball in her hands. "Well, I guess we should meet, huh?" she whispered hoarsely at the ball, and opened it away from her body. From the red light appeared a small baby Beldum, clearly very young by its size. It spun its body around a few times, taking in its surroundings, before turning to face May, its red eye widening at the sight of its new trainer. May smiled a little wider this time and couldn't help but giggle ever so slightly, but bitterly, at the fact that Steven had in fact given her a Pokémon from his favorite evolutionary line.

The Beldum hovered right up into her lap and lowered itself in, and May felt something cold fall into her lap. Beldum hovered up and away from May, this time spinning and swaying from side to side with its eye shut in bliss.

May's brow furrowed, and she looked down into her lap. There sat a rectangular piece of metal, May was unsure of what kind, no bigger than a standard notebook. Using both hands, she picked it up, and began to examine. She knew that some Pokémon were able to extract special powers and abilities out of certain artifacts, even strange items that she would've otherwise mistaken as garbage ihad it not been for her Pokémon's strange attraction and intuition for them. She still didn't understand why her Swampert insisted on collecting sand from a certain area of the beach near Slateport City, but for whatever reason, it always made his Earthquakes that much more powerful, so she didn't question it anymore.

After flipping the sheet of metal over, she noticed some faint engravings. Sniffling her nose one more long hard time, she wiped her eyes with her arm, and squinted to attempt to read the faded writing.

_"When the universe was created, its shards became this Plate."_

So the object was a plate, then.

_The universe?_

May stared at the artifact, unsure of what to make of it. Her new Beldum was now hovering about the room, inspecting its surroundings. Beldum had certainly dropped the plate in her lap, which was for sure not an accident or a coincidence. The Pokémon seemed to have done so intentionally. What was she supposed to interpret from this plate? This plate was created from shards of the universe? That seemed pretty big.

Suddenly, May smirked. She wasn't crying anymore. No way. This plate smelled like adventure. Steven had just given her a piece of the puzzle, but gave himself head start! So May wins the championship, and then suddenly Steven is deserving of a handicap on their next journey? Sniffling a little bit, and content with her personal explanation for this entire stunt, May softly giggled to herself, and finally lifted herself from the floor.

So where to start first? Was it possible that Steven would have hinted to someone else about where he was headed first? Perhaps he had gone to his father, or Wallace? Or maybe she needed to go somewhere or find someone who could interpret this new plate she had, so she could have some kind of footing of where to start exploring. She could always start at the Space Center since she was in Mossdeep. It didn't seem to have any connection to space, necessarily, but she really had no clue, and there certainly were many highly educated people there that might know about potential lore surrounding this encrypted plate.

She had just received an upgrade to her Pokénav to make calls, so she figured she might as well try calling around before going anywhere. May pulled her Pokénav out of her bag, and decided she'd try calling Wallace, first. Steven was probably out of the Pokénav's range, wherever he was, but she knew Wallace would still be in Hoenn, in Sootopolis at the gym. Wallace seemed like a good place to start. They were best friends, after all, right? Maybe Steven would've gone to him at some point before he left, and May knew she could squeeze information out of him, if need be.

It barely rang once before she got an answer. "Hello, May?"

"Hey, Wallace!"

"Wow, May, good to hear from you! It's been awhile! To what do I owe this pleasure?"

May paused. Just what was she asking again? How did she word this? "I was wondering…if you've heard from Steven recently?"

A small chuckle was heard, and May didn't know what to think of it. Why was that funny? "Ah yes, it's actually a remarkable coincidence that you brought him up. Where are you now? He went to the Battle Resort looking for you. I believe he has _another_ gift for you. I swear, it seems like he's got something new for you every other week, don't you feel smothered?"

Really, _that_ was the word he was going to use? _Smothered_?

_Wait_.

Steven was still in _Hoenn_?

Steven had been _looking_ for her?

May wracked her brain. She knew she was bad with time, but had she lost track of things that much? May had been fairly certain that Steven had said to stop by whenever, so she hadn't expected him to just take off, but… _Shit_. Did she just over-react immensely? Was this all her fault for being too wrapped up in her own undertakings to be cognizant of Steven's time? She often forgot that even though he was her superior for a while throughout her journey, that didn't make him any less of a Pokémon trainer or traveling heart. They were too alike in that aspect, both wanderlusting across Hoenn, it truly having to be coincidence that they crossed each others' paths so remarkably often.

"May?"

_Oops_. "Yeah, sorry. The Battle Resort?"

May heard another slight chuckle. "Yes, dear. Was there anything else you needed?"

"Actually," May continued, realizing there was something else she could ask him. "Steven left an artifact for me, here at his house. It's a sheet of metal, and it has this engraved message on it, "_When the universe was created, its shards became this Plate." _Do you know anything about it?"

"Ooo," Wallace cooed, almost immediately after May finished, "So, Steven managed to acquire the Iron Plate? _And_ he gave it to you? Again, _gift_ after _gift_."

May cleared her throat in annoyance, "Iron Plate?"

"Yes. I once had one quite similar to it called the Splash Plate, but I lost it about a year ago to a friend of mine in Kalos…"

Okay, this was good, Wallace seemed to know a little more than she had expected. "Splash Plate?"

"Ah, yes. My Pokémon really seemed to gravitate toward it. There was definitely some sort of attraction, a _longing_ even, to have the Splash Plate. My Ludicolo joyously wrangled it from the captain of a cruise I ventured on long ago. We made proper negotiations after that, of course, but, st-ll, my Lu-co-o s-re -med to l-"

"Wallace?"

"M-y? –n y- -ear m-"

Wallace's voice kept cutting in and out until it eventually faded into static. May pulled her Pokénav away from her head to look at it, only to see all the screens covered in black and white nonsense. That was odd. The Pokénav hardly ever acted up, and May couldn't recall many other times it had malfunctioned. In fact, it was reacting the same way it had when she was deep in the Cave of Origin all those months ago.

May shrugged and pocketed the Pokénav. It was probably just buggy because it was the first time she tried using the calling functionality that was recently installed in her version of the system. She could always fly to Rustboro and get the Devon Corps to look at it, whenever she wanted. She also wanted to visit Wallace and talk more about these plates. He sounded like he still had more to share about what he knew of them.

But first, she needed to touch base with Steven. She needed to thank him for the Beldum, find out where he found the Iron Plate, why he _gave_ it to her, and most _importantly_, apologize.

Her new baby Beldum was still flying around the house happily. It looked so vibrant and just happy to be alive. May smirked and knew this Pokémon would be an excellent addition to her team, she could already tell.

"Alright, Bellamy, time to get on the road!" May exclaimed, recalling the baby Beldum into its Pokéball.

At least, May thought that they were going to be getting on the road.

As soon as May stepped outside of Steven's house, it was impossible to not notice the current scenario. The island was in chaos. It appeared as though everyone was out of their homes, frantically approaching one another with question after question, and no answers.

"Did you see the sky disappear?"

"Did a Pokémon do this?"

"I missed it, what happened?"

"It was like night for a few seconds!"

"Except there were no starts! The whole island was covered in deep purple!"

"Where did Shoal Cave go?"

May started to walk around. Mossdeep was covered in purple? Shoal Cave was nowhere in sight? What had happened here? As she continued to walk the island, she tried to listen in to some more conversations hoping to hear some more pieces of the chaos without directly jumping into a conversation. That is, until she distantly heard a more than familiar, yet frantic, voice, and stopped in her tracks.

"May?"

Like clockwork, May flipped around, and saw Steven running toward her from the Pokémon Center. He looked as composed and princely as ever, though his current belongings depicted that he'd been on the road, with his enormous backpack on his shoulders. His outfit was on-point as ever, but his backpack looked a little worse for wear.

"Steven?" May choked out in response. She definitely hadn't planned on seeing him already. She was going to plan out an apology while she flew to the Battle Resort, which she'd deliver when she ran into him on the beach somewhere. They'd hash out their misunderstandings at each other and eventually settle it with a battle, and maybe take up the multi-battle challenge together after they got everything figured out…

**"I'm sorry."** They both blurted at each other, stereotypically at the same time. The two then looked shocked, and May was the first one to speak next.

"No, we can catch up on all of that later," she said, recognizing there was something bigger than the both of them happening at the moment, "I think we have something else to focus on right now." At these words, Steven's face immediately changed to one of understanding and agreement.

"As per usual, you're on top and cognizant of the dilemma on hand. You're right. Let's get back to my place," Steven said, starting to lead, but then quickly added, "I promise we'll talk, about _everything_, but you need to let me explain the here and now situation."

Talk about _everything_? If Mossdeep wasn't blatantly going through a crisis, that statement would have made May's heart skip a beat, especially just the way he _said_ it. To say that in addition to what was currently happening, had implications of Steven needing to discuss other things. But then May remembered that Wallace _had_ said he was looking for her at the Battle Resort. And there still was the Iron Plate. They actually did have quite a few things to discuss, May realized.

Just as May and Steven stepped into his house, they faintly heard, "Wait, there's Champions May and Steven!"

Steven poked his head out of the door, holding it almost shut, and called out, "We're having an emergency conference. I promise we will come back out and make an announcement as soon as a plan of action is reached." And with that, he swiftly closed and locked the door. May was thankful for that. She had never been good at deterring crowds and fans, while Steven seemed to have a natural knack for it.

"Well, I suppose it was only a matter of time before someone spotted us," Steven grumbled, "and it's only a matter of time before we'll have to go back out."

A few seconds passed, and Steven started by setting his backpack on the main table of his living room. Then, May's heart got caught in her throat. Steven was looking at his letter that still sat at the table, which was now an ugly sheet, completely ruined from being crumpled, and words smudged from tears.

Steven half-turned towards May, the letter in one hand and his other hand immediately behind his neck. "I see you got the Beldum I left for you…" he said, very monotonously, head downcast, all to May's alarm. Sure, the island was in chaos, but it felt like she needed to express some feelings now and just be honest.

"I…got caught up in myself," May started. What kind of way to start was that? "Your letter…it was really ambiguous, you made it sound like you left for good."

Steven's lips visibly pressed tightly together, and he stepped toward his kitchenette. "I definitely intended to be on the road for awhile, but certainly not for good. Hoenn is my home." He pulled out two glasses, set them on the counter, and reached into his freezer. "Can I get you something to drink? I'm not particularly certain, but I have a notion that you've had a day not too far off from my own."

May sighed, and walked toward the table to have a seat. Steven clearly was not sharing something with her, and that certainly made her anxious. However, here she was, invited into his home, sitting at his table. Sure, she could denote that to the current state of affairs of Mossdeep and the undoubtedly important roll they were about to play in its potential outcome, but she could not relate that to him offering her a drink. That being said, his tone of voice gave her the hint that being open and honest about feelings would have to come at a later time.

Before she could accept the offer, May saw that Steven had already begun pouring whiskey into both glasses. However, what May hadn't noticed, was whatever Steven had pulled out of his freezer. May squinted at the glasses on the counter, and when Steven had turned around to bring both glasses to the table, May was able to more clearly see what was at the bottom of the drinks.

"No _way_…Steven, are those _rocks_ in the whiskey? Did you take rocks out of your freezer and put them in whiskey?" Despite their previously less than utmost pleasant exchange, May couldn't help but stifle a giggle.

It was apparently that Steven was annoyed, but tried to be patient, as that was what he often found himself doing when others didn't understand his hobby and profession. He looked up at the ceiling and sighed, then said, "They're hornblende biotite granite, from the Rock Tunnel in the Kanto Region. And, as you can see, they've been polished appropriately. _And,_ they're an excellent way to keep your drink cold without watering it down." Steven then sighed again, recollecting himself after recognizing that he was about to go into a full tangent, and sat down corner-side from May. "But enough about my _rocks_," he said, May not being able to tell just what feelings were implied by his emphasis on the word _rocks_, "we need to get down to business. Did you experience what happened outside?"

"No…" May muttered, glancing again at the letter on the table, and a hand voluntarily going to the new Pokéball on her belt, "but, there was something odd, now that I'm thinking about it." May remembered now. "Before I left your house and experienced the commotion outside, I was on the phone with Wallace. His voice began to cut out, and before I knew it, the call was completely cut by static. When I looked down at my Pokénav, it looked just like how it had when I was in the Cave of Origin when everything was going down."

After taking a sip, Steven softly hummed and said, "So you're thinking the sudden cut in transmission may be linked to whatever occurrence happened here…" Steven mulled out loud. "It's more than likely. The Pokénav hardly completely cuts out of service. Even if it's out of service range, some of the channels still have basic levels of functionality. When you were in the Cave of Origin, it likely cut out due to the intense amounts of energy being exhibited at that time. Today was likely similar."

"Were you outside?" May then asked.

"Yes," Steven answered, after taking another sip. "Or at least, I caught a glimpse of it. I had been in the Pokémon Center, but rushed outside when people began to speak of the sky disappearing, and purple engulfing Mossdeep. By the time I stepped outside, it was like waking up from an absurd dream abruptly, because of the shift from darkness to light."

"This all sounds so absurd…" May muttered, just looking at her drink, not having tasted it yet. She didn't typically drink whiskey, nor did she particularly drink very often, but she was beginning to feel she should indulge just a tad in order to take the edge off of this strange reality unfolding before them. "Do you think a Pokémon did this? What else could possibly be going on?"

Steven sighed again, and leaned back in his chair. He sure was doing a lot of sighing this late afternoon, but May supposed he really couldn't help it. "I have my suspicions. And I've only heard rumors, but…"

In the natural gap that Steven took to process what he was going to say next, there was a firm knock at the front door. Steven sighed once more, and got up from his seat to answer the knocking. As he cracked the door and began to open it wider, he already began to speak, saying, "I'm sorry, but May and I are still conferencing, so if you could…"

But before he could finish, the door was fully opened outwardly out of Steven's hand. When Steven finished looking shocked and offended, he realized who was standing before him. Dressed sharply in khakis, a red dress shirt, white sweater-vest, white fedora, and holding himself with a cane, Steven knew exactly who the man was.

"Blaine?"

"I'm bemused you remember me, Steven," the man said, showing a wicked half smirk. "You haven't seen me since you were a wee tyke, dragged along to Cinnabar Island for one of your father's business meetings."

It was Steven's turn to give a shy smile, replying, "It's difficult to forget someone if you regard as a huge inspiration." Steven then stepped inside and aside, holding the door open. "Please, come in. This is May Maple, the most recent Champion of Hoenn."

"Ah yes," Blaine said, promptly walking to the table despite his cane and taking a seat, "I've heard much about the new Champion. It's a pleasure to meet you."

May simply smiled and nodded, a blush creeping onto her face. She was embarrassed and a touch bewildered. There was too much suddenly going on. Now this man she's never even heard of before was invited into Steven's home, and he had called him an inspiration. Just who was he?

And as if reading her mind, when Steven sat down again, he said, "This is Blaine, the Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island in Kanto. He's also a well-published scientist in the fields of Pokémon genetics and the revival of ancient Pokémon using well-preserved fossils. He and my father have done much business together."

Blaine heavily blew air out of his nose, and retorted, "You flatter me too much. Sonny, you need to start publishing your own findings, you know, with all of that field work you've been up to as of late."

Steven blushed mildly, and a small smile formed on his lips. "Yes, yes, I'm getting to it. But I've been caught up in a lot of other hiccups lately. Which brings me to my next point. What brings you here to Hoenn, Blaine? It's not exactly a hop, skip, and a jump."

Blaine took a deep breath, crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair. "Steven, I'm actually here to ask what brings you to Kanto."

There was a pregnant silence, and both May and Steven's eyes widened in alarm at Blaine's words. May immediately began to wonder just how old Blaine was, that he would say something so bizarre. They had been sitting in Steven's home this entire time. They were certainly in Mossdeep, in Hoenn.

"Blaine…" Steven said cautiously, "I'm afraid you need to elaborate."

Blaine huffed again, shifted in his chair, and said, "Your island of Mossdeep: it's between Cinnabar island and the Seafoam Islands."

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><p><strong>Please let me know what you think! Again, I'm still figuring out my schedule and the times during the week that I'll be busiest, but I would like to figure out a regular time and day to post chapters. If you have a preference of when you'd like to see chapter go up, I'd love to hear it. And even though it's still very young and fresh and not a lot has been explored yet (there are many more questions that this chapter has presented than headcanons flourished), I'd also like to hear any thoughts you have about what I've written so far! See you next time!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the wait! This took me much longer to write than I had hoped! So there goes the idea of trying to set up a specific day of the week for updates, oops! Adult life has just gotten me bogged down so much lately, I'm trying my best to write when I can and whenever I get the chance. Thankfully for me, no one really said that any particular day worked best for them for updates, so it looks like that works out in my favor. Thanks so much for all of your reviews/favs/follows so far, it means a great deal to me! I thrive on feedback and support. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did writing it!**

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><p><em>Of Hoops and Holists - Chapter Two<em>

_Steven left more than just a Pokéball and a letter._

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><p>Understanding that the flabbergasted looks on the young adults' faces were a response of disbelief, Blaine slowly stood up, and headed back toward the door. May gently turned her head toward Steven as if he'd have some kind of an answer for the elderly man's behavior, but his expression illustrated that he was just as clueless.<p>

Once Blaine got to the door, he pushed it open, and instead of leaving, stood with his back propping the door open, with one hand up towards outside Steven's home and the other holding himself up with his cane.

"Come," he grunted, clearly not budging from his spot.

May immediately got up, and Steven stumbled at first in attempt to relieve himself of the chair, but followed suit. The two tailed the elderly gym leader down to the beach, and upon looking in the direction that Blaine stood, their questions were answered. Albeit in the distance, May could faintly see an island with puffs of smoke rising from it, and it was definitely closer than Mt. Chimney could have been.

Upon further inspection, May noticed some shellfish Pokémon in the shallows of the shore. Not recognizing it, she almost voluntarily out of habit pulled out her Pokédex, and scanned the group of Pokémon on the beach.

"These are Kanto native Shellder…" May muttered under breath, pocketing the technology almost without even realizing it.

"As you can see," Blaine spoke in response to May, "that island in the distance is Cinnabar Island, where I call home. The local Pokémon seem to be reacting to the phenomenon…" Blaine uttered, still looking out at Cinnabar Island in the distance. They could see a flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto flying through the sky and circling and swarming over the shore. A school of Goldeen emerged and bobbed fervently in nearby waters. "Upon the arrival of your island of Mossdeep," Blaine continued, "the currents surrounding Cinnabar and the Seafoam Islands all shifted, and all of our ocean-life started behaving oddly, rising to the surface in schools and traveling in peculiar patterns."

"It seems the number of Pokémon coming to investigate Mossdeep is rapidly increasing as well," Steven muttered, bringing a fist to his mouth in thought as they all continued to observe the influx of Pokémon venturing toward the shore.

Blaine expanded a Pokéball from his breast pocket, and revealed a Talonflame. "I think I've seen just about enough to report back to The League. I advise that the two of you stay on the island, maybe do some looking around, make sure nothing is out of place?"

"Yes, in fact," Steven spoke up, a little more decisiveness back in his voice, "we'll go to the Space Station. Perhaps they picked up some kind of reading during the movement of Mossdeep. It might not be _the_ answer, but it's certainly a place for us to start, considering the recent happenstances we've encountered in regards to Pokémon from space in Hoenn."

Blaine made a noise something of a snort in agreement, and commented, "Yes, I heard much about those recent happenings and your hero here, May…" He then mounted his Talonflame. "I'll take my leave now. Let's stay in touch. I'll report back to you of what The League has to say about all of this, and if they have any potential insight. Beyond this being a potential disaster, I'm quite fascinated by this whole ordeal, especially if it involves Pokémon," and with that, Blaine flew off on his Talonflame.

May and Steven turned to leave the beach and walk back to the Space Center, but as they were walking, their feet were immediately washed over with a warm wave, and it didn't seem to be stopping. The moment May turned back around in curiosity to see the water, the sky suddenly disappeared, and was replaced with an eerie deep purple, and she haphazardly grabbed Steven's sleeve in response. He started to vocalize her name, but was cut off by his own surprise at the visible transition. The distant ranting of the island was silenced. In actuality, all sound of the island was suppressed in that stilled moment. The ocean was also gone, and the eerie purple void completely surrounded the island. There was no smell of salty air, no feeling of the gentle ocean-side breeze. Then, in the blink of an eye, the sky returned, the waves of the ocean crashed on the shore, and a flock of Wingull could be seen in the distance.

As if frozen in place, the two of them were stopped in their tracks, and it seemed neither were particularly sure of what to do next. The gentle sounds of the waves on the sand and the ocean air resumed as if the island had never left. A chorus of concerns quickly filled the air once again after this returning of the island back to its original location.

Finally letting go of Steven's sleeve, May started to turn back toward Mossdeep, and over her shoulder started to say, "We should really get to the Spa-"

"No, there's somewhere else I want to investigate," Steven interrupted, bringing a fist to his chin in thought, "and you need to come with me."

Had May heard him correctly? She immediately spun on her heal to look back at him in shock. "Excuse me?" she rebutted in disbelief, her brows furrowing. "And where do we _need_ to go, exactly? We _need_ to see if the Space Center picked up anything unusual after what just happened! They might have caught traces of a Pokémon!"

Even though May was continuing to counter-argue, Steven had already pulled out his Eon Flute, and Latios was already on his way.

"Seriously?" May asked with distress, her voice clearly growing more agitated. "Do I not get any kind of explanation? Or any consideration in our joint decision making process, since you're making it clear that this is now our _joint_ effort and project…" She tried to make sure she put extra emphasis on the word joint, because she wanted to make sure that Steven was aware that he just _told_ her what they were about to do _together_. She wasn't exactly ready for that, nor was that typically like Steven, as he was usually so thorough about his explanations.

Steven began to mount Latios, saying, "I recognize that we have both become incredibly accustomed to being in the limelight and guiding Hoenn to safety and clarity. For that reason, I find it in our best interest to inspect another location at this time," and pausing to reach a welcoming hand toward the bewildered May, finished by saying, "_before_ interacting with anyone else."

Her heart skipping a beat, May eyed him sternly unsure of her next move. She wanted to stand her ground, but she also wanted to put her faith in Steven. Besides the whole disappearing thing, he had never done anything to lose her trust. She took his hand and huffed as she hopped on Latios behind him, "You're still being really vague, you know…"

As Latios rose from the ground for flight, May held tight to Steven around his torso and could feel him take a deep breath, followed by an unrestricted sigh. He tucked his head into his left shoulder in an attempt to turn towards May, and said, "My apologies. My intention is not to frustrate you, May. This will all simply be easier to talk about if my hypothesis about something is true."

Trying to take his words carefully but failing, May retorted almost immediately, "If _something_ is true?" May found herself squeezing a little tighter, and murmured into his back, "You're still being so vague, but I almost don't care because you do it so persuasively. You're always so damn well spoken, you know?"

Steven then found himself feeling in luck that May was behind him on this ride, because thinking about her last statement caused a blush of embarrassment to creep upon his face. Steven had always prided himself in his eloquent speaking, but did she think he sounded…funny? Not that that should matter, of course. He liked the way in which he spoke, why should May change that?

"May, try to look around me, ahead of us," Steven asked of her, now finding himself becoming hyper aware of the type of language he used, "Do you see what I see?"'

At this point, nothing particularly startled May anymore, and she saw exactly what Steven was talking about, "You mean that forested island just to the south of Pacifidlog? Yeah, I see it. I take it that's our destination?"

"You are correct."

Even though Steven couldn't see it, May scrunched her face up, "You know, a 'you got it' would be way more appropriate to say to me."

Although Steven wanted to contemplate what May meant by that last statement, Latios was quickly approaching the transcontinental island, and the two were bracing themselves for their landing.

The island was absolutely beautiful. Just as they landed, a flock of Xatu broke the calm and flew out of some nearby tall grass. A group of Audino were basking in the sun and making each other flower crowns in a small clearing There seemed to be a large cratered mound toward the center of the island, but it was surrounded by luscious green foliage, and the sounds of Pokémon surrounded them.

"So this…" May started, trying to take in her surroundings the best she could, as she and Steven slowly stepped forward, observing their new surroundings, "is just like what happened to Mossdeep?"

"That's what I'm predicting, for now," Steven responded. "And this isn't the first, or the only island like this that's materialized up like this along these seas."

May eyed him suspiciously. "So you're saying that there have been other islands, and you've known about these phenomena?" she asked skeptically. "Entire islands have been appearing in Hoenn…"

"I'm actually quite surprised that you hadn't noticed any of them, May," Steven commentated flatly.

May visibly blushed. "Things were kind of rough for awhile. I've been taking it easy at the Battle Resort, alright?"

"Ah yes, I forgot that you had made promises to chum it up with ex-eco-terrorists."

Steven knew he had messed up with that line. That was completely unlike him, too, to snap out in such a snarky manner. May's face was no better, either, and Steven knew that any attempt at retracting the statement would be futile. But the thought of her actively enjoying and engaging the presence of the buffoons they once knew as dangerous enemies certainly annoyed him, at the very least.

However, May didn't lash out, or even react outwardly right away at all, actually. She brought both hands together in front of her, and cast her eyes down. "I'm sorry I didn't come to your house right away," she said softly and slowly, "I guess I lost track of time."

His face immediately softening, Steven realized where his jut comment positioned May, and he instantly regretted it. "And I lost track of the days, as well," Steven added, not sure quite where to place his eyes. If May had been mad, then that would've been easier. But she wasn't, and she was being very docile about the whole ordeal, how they somehow came to losing touch with each other. "I'm not mad, you know," he added meekly, "I was certainly a little frustrated, yes, but definitely not mad."

May realized she had been chewing on one of her cheeks out of nervous habit, and she immediately stopped once she recognized what she was doing. Taking a deep breath and a moment to look around at their surroundings, May gave herself confirmation that this island really was scenic. The plants and Pokémon were clearly not native to Hoenn, that much at least was for sure. Noticing that her attention was now elsewhere, Steven said, "Well, would you like to see around the island? There are a couple of areas I'd like to take some time inspecting."

"So you've been to this island before?"

"Yes, and a few other islands that have appeared," Steven answered, starting to clear a path for them with his hand in the tall grass to lead the way, "they have all had Pokémon distinctly from other regions, and I've found a few artifacts certainly worth noting. For instance, on this island, I found various fossils of Pokémon that were once native to other regions, but certainly not native to Hoenn."

May followed him into the brush, and took his hand when he offered it to ascend a rockier area. It appeared that they were climbing and navigating through parts of the island leading them to the center of the craterous mound. So, Steven had been exploring islands like this all across the ocean routes, and collecting anything interesting that he found. May came to a bit of a conclusion based on what Steven just said.

"So…did you find the Iron Plate you gave me on one of these islands?"

"Ah, yes," Steven responded hastily, with an odd inflection in his voice, "isn't it fascinating? However, again, that plate and others similar are most likely not originally from Hoenn and in fact, many of them, to my knowledge and speculation, are from Sinnoh."

Steven outstretched his arm once more to lead May up a few more rocky steep steps, as they were just about done ascending the hill. May almost rolled her eyes at Steven's guidance, but she forced herself to brush it off, knowing that, regardless of just quite how Steven felt about her, she knew he wouldn't take her anywhere without making sure that she was cared for, despite knowing that she could completely hold her own.

"I appreciate the support," May began, still holding Steven's hand as she made her footing in the stony elevation, "but I did ride a 23 foot dragon into space."

Steven tilted his head to the side with a somber smile and firmly assisted May up the last bit of rockiness to the level terrain and said, "My last intention is to belittle you, _hero to Hoenn and Champion,_ _May_. I hope that you can forgive my desire to continue to guide you." He squeezed May's hand before letting go and emitted a small, almost sad-sounding chuckle, then followed with, "Old habit, I suppose."

May eyed him questionably at first, but acknowledging that they were at the top of the island, took a moment to observe the land around them instead. The crater was full of lava, but it didn't appear to be very active or a threat. The island wasn't terribly large, but it was clear that life was still thriving on it regardless.

"Should we be staying here terribly long?" May asked, reminding herself of recent events, "Are we going to disappear with this island at any moment?"

Steven tilted his head up, and crunched his forehead in thought. "You know, Mossdeep is the first time I had actually been on an island while it was transported," he replied curtily. "I can't be sure, but somehow, I doubt it."

"Well then, in that case," May spoke cautiously, realizing she was losing her train of thought thanks to the heat she found invading her face. They were standing right next to a pit of lava, after all. She bravely continued, "Can we stay here for awhile? Can we catch up? This island is gorgeous, and it sounds like you've already taken some time to enjoy it."

Steven felt his next breath getting caught in his chest. That was not the string of questions he expected to hear from her. "Of course, May," he said in his attempted most princely voice, bringing it upon himself to make the first move of lowering himself to have a seat on the edge of the rise, overlooking a good portion of the island. "I realize all of this is probably overwhelming, so of course we can slow down," he added, looking up to her with a soft smile and once again, an outstretched arm to help her down to sit next to him. May tried to push the feelings of overwhelming embarrassment away from taking his hand and gingerly brought herself down to accompany him overlooking the picture-esque scenery laid out before them.

Despite wanting to ask questions, the two sat in silence for awhile. Although being silent themselves, the island was full of nature, what with the chatter of Pokémon going about their way and the constant harmonious sounds of the ocean waves in junction with the trees and grasses swaying together. It certainly was peaceful, and May found herself getting lost in the serenity of it all. That is, until she felt a large warm hand encompass over hers, jolting her back to reality, her head jerking to look right and up at Steven, who only had the softest expression on his face in response when she created eye contact with him. It was absolutely the nearby lava making her heart melt.

Because it was the beauty of their surroundings giving him that horribly contented face, not sharing a moment with her.

"So, what would you like to talk about? I imagine, you have a _few_ questions for me…" Steven said, slowly retracting his hand and looking back out at the ocean. Yeah, Steven definitely grabbed her hand to bring her back into reality, May tried to confirm for herself.

"Oh, right, well…" May attempted, suddenly forgetting all of her qualms with him. What had been her most recent question again? She had sort of gotten an answer over the letter and him leaving, although that picture wasn't completely clear, she couldn't find it in herself at that moment to probe further into that, it potentially being too personal. She then remembered, just before Mossdeep was transported, when she found Steven leaving the Pokémon Center, possibly why he was there. She had just had her phone call with Wallace interrupted, and he had said _he had been looking for her._

"Just before we ran into each other, just before the whole…_thing_…happened," May worded somewhat feebly, still unsure of what to call the event, "I was in a call with Wallace, and before it was cut short, he said that you were looking for me? That you had something to give me?"

When May finished and looked back up at Steven, he observed her with an eyebrow raised, a face mixed between curiosity and sheepishness. _She had been on the phone with Wallace?_ He made a mental note to find out later from him just what was said.

"Oh, right, yes," he hurriedly began to say, reaching inside his jacket, when he stopped as May's Pokénav started to ring. He momentarily paused as he watched her pull the tech out of her fanny-pack and answered the call.

"May, is everything alright?"

"Hi, Wallace! Yeah, things are just a little complicated at the moment, but we're okay now."

_Wallace?! Now he was calling her?_ Just how much had Steven missed while he was out exploring?

"_**We**__'re_?" Wallace reiterated with extra yielding emphasis. "May, to my knowledge, you travel alone. With whom are you traveling now?"

"Oh, yeah, I ran into Steven at Mossdeep!"

"What?! Oh, that's splendid. Is everything all right over there now? At first I wrote off losing the connection with you to faulty Devon tech, but I progressively grew worrisome after I heard about some peculiar things happening in Mossdeep."

"Well, actually, we're not in Mossdeep anymore, but to our knowledge," May paused and looked at Steven. He looked a little apprehensive, but his lips formed into a small smirk despite. "The island seems to be fine for the time being."

"That's a relief. So where are you now?"

"Uh…" May looked to Steven again, unsure of how to answer Wallace's question, "I'm going to hand you over to Steven to answer that one," she said, pulling her Pokénav from her face. "He wants to know where we are," she informed him, passing the phone-like device over to him.

"Wallace?" Steven started, "It's Steven. Remember those mystery islands I was telling you about? We're currently on an island south of Pacifidlog, the same one where I discovered all of those fossils."

"Oh that's right, how exotic. I see you, taking May to some unexplored island to do _research_-"

"-**Wallace**," Steven immediately sharply hissed into the microphone, a light rosy tint creeping onto his cheeks. Steven found himself praying to Arceus that the volume on May's Pokénav wasn't loud enough for her to hear that remark, but he wasn't about to look at May's face to confirm or deny that possibility, lest he create more suspicion for himself. Using the index finger of his free hand to loosen his tie. Steven continued, "I understand that you sometimes find it difficult to stay on task, but I'd greatly appreciate it if you were able to focus on the situation at hand."

"Yes, yes, of course. Arceus forbid I try to tease you a little bit sometimes. In that case, the two of you should head to Sootopolis. I'd really like to talk about this more in-depth, and I believe we'll need to put together some kind of report soon for the League soon, if all of this is causing as much disruption as I think it is."

"Yes, you're absolutely right. We'll be on our way shortly. See you soon."

"But wait, Steven?"

"Hm?"

"Make sure you're always being transparent with May, dare I say you shouldn't risk behaving in anything less. See you in a bit."

_Click_

Caught fairly off guard by that last statement, Steven slowly removed the Pokénav from his ear and couldn't help but look at it with a look of puzzlement. "Well," he began, straining to reiterate the last portion of his conversation with Wallace without mentally punching his best friend too much; "Wallace has extended an invitation to us to further discuss these happenings with him in Sootopolis. Word of Mossdeep's disappearance has reached him there, and we'll need to comprise a report for the League soon."

May nodded in understanding and added, "Yeah, and get our entire story straight before the reporters from Buzznav find us. It sounds like it's only a matter of time before we encounter someone."

As he pulled out his Eon Flute, Steven mindfully gave May that soft smile of his again. He had almost forgotten how much she had probably gone through with the paparazzi and the general public of Hoenn after everything had gone down with becoming the Champion, and saving the world from destruction not once, but twice. Steven found himself a bit jittery just thinking about it, that that person was May, and that she was here with him right now. In all of her joyfulness and doe-eyed cheeriness, she was still Hoenn's hero. He tried not to think about it too much, but there was a feeling nagging in the back of his mind that he'd have to confront a lot of these thoughts sooner or later. Steven had always felt like he was supposed to have this big, meaningful life, but somehow something different from what the Devon Corporation had to offer him. Perhaps that was why he had always found himself so drawn to May, and wanting to make sure that she always had her best shot at whatever it was that she intended to do.

And she had surpassed him, by an enormous amount at that, causing him to feel the need to venture out on his own for a while, which in itself had become almost entirely futile. Almost everywhere he went, there was something that reminded him of her somehow, or experiences he felt the need to share with her.

As soon as Latios arrived, before Steven even approached the Eon Pokémon, May jumped past him and jumped on Latios' back, sporting a huge grin at Steven. "My turn to lead! Come on, Steven, you can't let the thought of a couple of reporters bog you down! We have too much adventure to have still!"

Chuckling softly and pocketing the Eon Flute, Steven approached the male Eon Pokémon. Hoisting himself onto Latios behind May, Steven was finally starting to understand that he didn't have to do things on his own to have a great big life.

Their flight was far from boring, as well. Completely the opposite of how Steven led Latios in flight, May egged Latios on to make sharp turns and tilts, purely for the thrill of it, leading to Steven wrapping his arms around May a bit tighter than what he'd normally consider gentlemanly.

Taking his firm hold of her as a queue, May exclaimed, "Oh come on, Steven! Can't you tell Latios is enjoying this? You've gotta let him have some fun sometimes!" More quietly and with a snarkier tone, she added, "Although he's not nearly as adventurous as compared to his sister."

Latios was just about to make another sharp tilt to the right, when he slowed his momentum a bit as Sootopolis came into view. While this was to the relief of Steven, this caught May's attention, and she immediately scanned for any peculiarities that would make Latios suddenly slow her lead. Then she saw it, just to the right of the crater that was Sootopolis, was another unidentified tiny island.

"I haven't seen that island before…" Steven uttered.

"Should we check it out before going to Sootopolis then?" May asked. "Latios seems to want to take us there, too."

"It certainly can't hurt," Steven answered. "It's nearby, and it doesn't look terribly big."

Once they landed, Latios didn't fly off as per usual. He remained where he dropped off Steven and May, and appeared as alert as ever. "I suspect Latios seems insistent that we do some exploring," Steven observed, noticing how on edge Latios seemed, "which surely won't take terribly long, considering the size of this island."

Steven was right. This island was not nearly as beautiful or bountiful as the island that they had just left, but still plainly foreign to the both of them. May and Steven could essentially see the shores of the entire island, and the only area that could be deemed worth exploring was a single cavern dead in the middle. "Lucky for us, exploring caves is my forte," Steven said confidently, reaching inside his suit jacket and providing a small flashlight, "let's go ahead."

The inside of the cavern was not particularly any more exciting than the outside portion of the island. It was mostly covered in water deep enough to ride a Pokémon in, and the walls didn't appear to have any openings or pathways to other areas. Without hesitation and practically on instinct, May removed a Pokéball from her belt and revealed her Swampert.

"I'm going to check the water for any Pokémon. Maybe that will help us determine where this island came from," May informed Steven, hopping onto her Swampert's back with ease.

"Sounds logical," Steven agreed. "I'll check the walls and ground for anything suspicious. Maybe there are artifacts here, too, or something written in the walls."

May and Swampert skimmed across the top of the pond with ease. The water was still, but some areas certainly looked deeper than others. Still, the cavern had an unnerving feeling to it, and May wanted to dive, but she had left her wetsuit and breathing mechanism at her secret base. Besides May and her Swampert, the water mostly seemed still and devoid of any activity anyway. Just as she was about to turn to see if Steven had found any luck, something no larger than a basketball shot straight up out of the water and into the air, with enough force to create a wave that pushed her and her Swampert back, and a flash of gray and yellow whizzed past her face away from the water.

Bewildered and wide-eyed at the sudden disturbance, May blinked a few times before looking around the cavern to see where whatever flew past her went. It didn't take long to notice Steven standing by the edge of the water, and the fascinating unidentifiable gray and yellow Pokémon hovering right in front of his face.

"Easy, Swampert, let's slowly head toward them. We don't want to scare it off. I've never seen a Pokémon like it before," May almost whispered to her surfing creature.

While Swampert cautiously swam toward the shore in the foreign Pokémon's direction, May wracked her brain to classify the creature in a race with her Pokédex, watching as it stared Steven down, no more than a foot away from his face. She knew this thing was not common, by any means, but how uncommon, she was unsure, and for that reason, knew better than to make any sudden movements or sounds as to startle it, as they didn't yet know it's power. She attributed that causation to Steven standing perfectly still in front of the Pokémon. May's Pokédex finally "binged" in completion, and the stats scrolled across the screen.

_Uxie. Genderless. 1.00", .07 lbs._

_It is said that its emergence gave humans the intelligence to improve their quality of life. Known as "The Being of Knowledge." It is said that it can wipe out the memory of those who see its eyes._

It's…_eyes_?

Just after the Pokédex finished it's reading, Uxie's eyes shut, and as if acknowledging that May just acquired this new knowledge about it, Uxie teleported in a flash of blue light.

May sprang off of her Swampert and didn't bother to recall it when she ran up to Steven. She was trying to stay calm, but she couldn't help but grab the shoulders of the man in front of her to establish eye contact. The Pokédex's exact words were _"It is said."_ It could completely be myth, and she could be getting riled up about nothing.

Steven had a dead-pan look in his eyes, brows furrowed, lips slightly parted.

"Steven? Hey, you okay?"

It took him a second, but Steven's eyes came into focus with May's, but his expression remained perplexed, "I'm unsure." He took a moment to look at May's hands on his shoulders, then to observe the space around them. "That Pokémon, just now…"

May waited, but he didn't finish, so she filled in for him, "That was Uxie. I'm guessing it's a pretty big deal, with how the Pokédex described it and how it teleported out of here like that."

Steven still stood tense, and shifted his body to the side to open the space between him and May, forcing her hands to slip from his shoulders. "Your Pokédex…just what did it say about Uxie?" he questioned, deliberately and cautiously.

Trying to interpret the created distance and his tone of voice, May swallowed hard before answering, "Pretty much that if you look at Uxie's eyes, it can wipe your memories."

At that, Steven shut his eyes tightly, and crossed his arms. When he opened his eyes again, his gaze was at the ground.

"I suppose that would explain why I have no idea where we are, or _who you are_."

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><p><strong>If you got anything out of this chapter, I hope it was imagining a group of Audino making flower crowns for each other. Let me know what you think in the reviews! I look forward to hearing from you and I'll see you all again soon!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Welcome back! This chapter was actually ready to be published late last night, but that was when the website went down, and I've been refreshing all day waiting to publish this. Again, thanks for favoriting, following, and reviewing! I love hearing your theories and thoughts of what I might do to our poor, poor favorite characters ;D I hope you enjoy this latest installment!**

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><p><em>Of Hoops and Holists – Chapter 3<em>

_Steven left more than just a Pokéball and a letter._

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><p>May stared in disbelief as she tried to make meaning of their current predicament. She wanted to panic, but she somehow knew that this dilemma didn't allow her the time for fear. What questions did she even begin to ask? Did she let him ask questions first? She watched as Steven slowly looked around the cavern, his forehead still pinched up in scrutiny.<p>

"I feel…like I've just woken up. I feel inclined to introduce myself, but you've made it clear that you know whom I am…" he trailed off, now turning to observe May. "I anticipate that this situation we are in is probably dire in nature, as I assume there is some level of familiarity between us that we are here together. You don't appear threatening, so I doubt I was here against my will, if I truly lost my memories. I normally explore caves in seclusion, so just the notion of me actively choosing to explore with someone is fairly alarming to me…" he finished, a visible blush now tinting his cheeks.

_What impression did that give him?_ May couldn't help but wonder just what Steven had clearly started to assume about the two of them. "I…think you might have the wrong idea," she said sheepishly, now realizing she was also blushing as well, now embarrassed by whatever it was that Steven possibly had running through his blank head. That being recognized, now she had to audibly interpret to him how she perceived their…relationship, whatever sort of relationship it was that they had.

"My name is May," she said, thinking that was probably the best place to start. Names were good. "And you helped me throughout my Pokémon journey. We've…" she trailed off, debating how to describe their adventures in the most concise way for now, because explaining anything would probably be too much for now, "we've done a lot of exploring and Pokémon training together, all across Hoenn."

"I'm sorry…" Steven started, his eyes now downcast, glossed over, "this must be impeccably irritating for you, but I'm going to propose that we keep moving? What's going on? What were we up to?"

May waved her hands in front of her body and quickly shook her head. "No no no!" she exclaimed, "Please don't apologize! Yeah, this whole situation is a little frustrating, but to be honest, I'm mostly worried about you, Steven," she admitted, now her hands held together in front of her. "I don't understand what's been happening in Hoenn, or why Uxie did this to you…but I'm going to get to the bottom of it," she confidently explained to him. This was a feeling May was familiar with. She felt the fire coming back in her chest, conceptualizing her new mission. She balled her fists in determination and continued, "I always do. This is just our next adventure. You've asked me to help you before, Steven, and I don't plan on backing down from your side now, either."

This feeling of sudden determination faltered slightly as May noticed that the small blush on Steven's cheeks hadn't gone anywhere, as an inquisitive smirk traced his lips and he so slightly tilted his head to the side. She supposed that anything going on in his head right now had to be so purely basic, as he was just receiving information, not having the tools to make meaning from it contextually.

"I'll try to keep things as simple as possible, but unfortunately, most of this is going to be a lot," May instigated, trying to process how to best articulate their situation, "but we're currently on an island that appeared in Route 126. We were on our way to see Wallace in Sootopolis, but we saw this island on our way and decided to stop here first and explore."

"And that's when Uxie appeared, probably perturbed by us invading its territory…" Steven speculated, still looking fairly stoic as he stared off at the opposite wall. May still had her eyes on him as he felt and patted his jacket and pockets to see what he had on his person.

"I suppose…we should ask each other questions?" Steven proposed. "I imagine that would be a good way to get both of us on the same level with each other."

"And I think that's an excellent idea," May responded, but she started to motion herself toward the entrance of the cavern, "but I think we should do it on the road. We need to get to Sootopolis and meet up with Wallace. You remember Wallace, right?"

"Of course," Steven responded right away, at least recognizing that he needed to follow May, "Wallace is my closest friend."

"Okay, good. I think it'll be good to have both of us nearby to explain things so we hopefully don't miss anything," May replied. As they got outside of the cavern, May started to pull out her own Eon Flute, and played the short tune. "Do you remember Latios and Latias?" she asked next.

"Yes, I have a flute just like your own," Steven answered, his words slow due to his evident curiosity.

May waved the flute a little bit at him before putting it away, and hopped onto Latias' back as soon as she arrived, then chimed, "You gave it to me." She stretched a hand out to Steven to join her on Latias. She couldn't help but smile, but not without guilt, at watching his face after she informed him that he had given him something so precious as he took her hand and mounted Latias behind her.

As Latias lifted from the ground, May said to her, "Sorry girl, but we're going to take things easy on our flight to Sootopolis today." She figured she didn't want to do anything too rigorous right now. "So, Steven," May began with her head thrown back to look up at him, "what's the last thing you remember, before Uxie?"

Steven started with a deep breath, then said, "Nothing particularly specific. I was avoiding both my Champion duties and business with my father by doing some research in caves around Hoenn. I guess the last place I remember exploring…would have to be Granite Cave. I remember wanting to find information on the ancient Pokémon of Hoenn."

"For real?" May immediately asked, almost in reflex. She brought her head back forward, a realization hitting her. "That's…exactly where we met…" May said, her brain reeling. "No wonder you don't remember me. You literally forgot everything up to right before when we first met."

"I suppose that almost answers my next question," Steven responded, "I want to know how we met."

May breathed in, now glad that she was facing forward so Steven couldn't see her face. There was nothing particularly embarrassing or weird about the way they first met, but it was still the act of remembering when they first met. "It was a request from your father, actually," she said, trying to remember the best she could. It really did seem like forever ago at this point. So much had happened since then. "He asked me to deliver a letter to you, because he knew you were on Dewford Island somewhere, and I was headed there for my next gym badge, anyway."

"You know my father?"

They were just about to lower into the crater that was Sootopolis, as May tried her hardest not to giggle. She knew that this was all serious, and actually pretty scary, but she found that trying to find it funny was the best way to deal with the lack of Steven's memories at this point. "Yeah, and that part I think I'll explain later, if you still don't remember," she said, realizing that if she started to get into the why she knew his dad, then that was going to open the whole can of worms that was Team Aqua and Team Magma, and she really was not ready for that question and answer session yet.

They landed in front of Wallace's house, and Latias took off after they dismounted. Steven went ahead and knocked on the door. When answered by swanky gym leader Wallace, he immediately had eyebrows to make at Steven.

"Well, if it isn't my sly-dog of a best friend back from his island escapades with Hoenn's sweetheart," Wallace greeted them holding the door for them to enter. Steven could only manage to stare at him confused and blankly while May blushed furiously and let herself into Wallace's home.

"Wallace, I'm gonna need you to cool it for a little bit," May said irritably, and sat down at the table in his front room. Wallace's abode was anything but humble. Lavished with modern looking furniture in white with light-blue accents, it was truly the color-scheme of both a gym leader who preferred water types and a gym leader who evidently placed value in status and quo.

"Keeping it cool is my specialty, but Miss May, I can assure you, my slights are nothing Steven cannot handle," Wallace cooed, strutting back into his home in his typical flair, leaving Steven in the doorway, expression stupefied. Steven stared at Wallace, then to May, the brunette holding a hand out to the chair perpendicular to her at the table, and Steven approached the table to also sit.

Watching his face as he came to sit next to her, May felt a pit of anxiety creep into her stomach. Here she was, in _Steven's_ best friend's house, and he was following _her_ like a puppy. He still was unsure of who she was, too, but she was the one he was putting his trust in that moment. May could tell that he simply knew that something was wrong, and he really didn't know what else to do. When Steven sat down, he looked at her expectantly, and to this, May looked worriedly at Wallace, who was still standing, now brows furrowed at the both of them.

"Okay, I get it," he said in an accused tone, and pulled up a chair at the table as well, "so fill me in. Now I really feel out of the loop."

"As do I," Steven grumbled, drawing May and Wallace's attention to see him now looking down into his lap, his hands balled in fists clutching at his pants. Wallace was about to voice his confusion once again, but May spoke up first.

"We…encountered the legendary Pokémon Uxie…" May quickly stated, emphasizing the name of the Pokémon, to see if it had any value to Wallace, and she noticed a flicker in his eyes at the name. Steven picked his head up, barely, to see if Wallace would have a reaction, and when they made eye contact, Wallace was able to put two and two together.

"You're…you're _shitting_ me," he barely whispered.

They watched as Steven tucked his head down again, lips pressed tightly together. Seeing him like this was tearing May's insides apart. The person she had grown the closest to on her journey, her closest confidant, her mentor, her guide, had _no_ idea who she was, had over two years worth of memories stripped from him, and was visibly embarrassed and frustrated. She found herself growing distressed with panic like she had promised herself not to, feeling the heat of tears starting to cloud her vision.

"We messed up…" May murmured, now staring down into her own lap. "We checked out an island just outside of Sootopolis before we got here. Latios seemed in tune with something on the island, so we thought it couldn't hurt…to check it out." It was getting harder for her to speak. _We thought it couldn't hurt. _She softly laughed bitterly before continuing. "Why…" May shook her head side to side, still dipped, and felt a few salty drips hit her legs, and her voice grew more unnerved, "why would a Pokémon do this? I had no idea there was a Pokémon that _could_ do this!"

They were all silent for a moment, only a few sniffles by May heard, and she raised her arm to wipe her face with her wrist. "I'm…sorry," she uttered, trying her best to crack a small smile when she lifted her head to look back at the two men, "I know, I'm the hero. I need to hold it together," she told them monotonously.

Wallace's face said otherwise. "May, you can't be expected to be 100 percent at all times, you're just one person," Wallace consoled her, reaching to hold her hands from across the table, "and you have every reason to be upset right now. We all do." He tilted his head toward Steven. He was staring awestruck at his heroine, apparently still unsure of what to make of her. May felt a little bit of the weight lift from her chest, but she felt some of it return when she saw how Steven was looking at her. Memories of her or not, his baffled expression in her direction was enough to make an 80 year-old woman swoon.

"And additionally to that, I wouldn't dare say that you messed up," Wallace added, letting go of May's hands and leaning back again into his chair, crossing his arms across his chest. "There is certainly a disturbance in our universe, what with these islands coming and going, and for the legendary Pokémon Uxie to act out as it did, something is definitely upsetting a balance somewhere."

"Wallace," May said, pushing herself to remain as composed as she could as to further their conversation, "Do you know when the islands started appearing and disappearing?"

"Yes, actually," Wallace replied, pausing briefly, "I believe Steven told me about them shortly after…you saved us all from Deoxys."

"What?!" Steven abruptly exclaimed, his face shooting back in May's direction, had he ever stopped looking at her prior. May just felt her heart melting all over again and was losing the fight against keeping her face from showing her melancholy.

"This is exactly what I was worried about explaining…" May said with a small voice, "Wallace, he doesn't remember anything about _me_." She looked up at the gym leader and continued, "the last thing he remembers is literally right before he met me. I mean, not to make everything about _me_, but that means he doesn't remember everything that happened with the legendary Pokémon, with the Cave of Origin, with the Space Center…" her voice softened to a just whisper, as listing everything just became too much for her to continue.

"Well that's…_dramatic_…" Wallace resentfully replied. "But…" He tapped his chin in thought. "Fortunately or otherwise, however you'll have it, a few things have crossed my mind. May, do you still have the Iron Plate that Steven gave you?"

May's face momentarily lit up, and she made the mistake of glancing at Steven as well. He just looked defeated at this point, slumped in his chair, and weakly lifted his eyes toward May to see her response. "Uh, yeah, it's right here," she said, unzipped her fanny pack and pulling out the foreign artifact, and set it on the table, engraving side facing up so everyone could see.

_"When the universe was created, its shards became this Plate."_

"Bare with me, but, if my memory serves me correctly, Steven retrieved this plate from one of the islands that appeared along Route 129…" he began to explain. He inhaled deeply, and released an extended sigh. "I believe Steven had been exploring several of these islands, finding various artifacts, fossils, and the like.

"Now, back to this plate. When I had the Splash Plate in my possession, it also had an engraved message on it, but it read, '_Two make matter and three make spirit, shaping the world._' There are other plates, all with messages like these, ambiguous about the creation of our world. Where I'm getting with this, though, is this _three make spirit_ part. What I _do_ know about Uxie, is it is considered to be a _third_ of this spirit. There is knowledge, emotion, and willpower, and Uxie is _knowledge_."

Wallace took a pause, collecting his thoughts. "This is all completely speculation at this point, but I feel we really have no other choice, and, being Sootopolitan, I have dependence in legendary Pokémon myths by nature. My notion though, is that Uxie saw that Steven had involvement in whatever has been causing this disturbance, and, likely reacted in instinct. Probably sensing the strong connection between the two of you, Uxie possibly recognized that you and your relationship as something of value to take from Steven, and, its power being able to erase memories, did exactly that."

"Wallace…" Steven finally spoke, though his voice was still soft, "had I turned in to the type of person over the past two years who would seek to cause such chaos?"

Wallace couldn't help but chuckle kindly in response before answering, "Dear Arceus, no, in fact, quite the opposite. If anything, we all learned a valuable lesson to leave the legendary Pokémon of this world at peace, unless they seek us out first."

"Oh, good," Steven said almost automatically, and also realizing the irony, that all of this was quite the contrary of good, "here I was thinking I had turned into some kind of tyrant."

"So, since I have a feeling tonight is going to be long," May asked, reaching again into her fanny pack, "Wallace, what's good to eat here? We should order something. I'm super hungry." She pulled out her wallet, but Wallace shook his head and pulled his out in response.

Wallace gave a breathy laugh. She was the hero, that was certain, and she had an appetite, and wallet, to match. "Of course, I think that's a great idea. There's an excellent restaurant just down the block, Papagalos. I'll go ahead and place an order for pick up. And it's on me. Not everyday I get to dine with the Champion of Hoenn and my amnesia-ridden best friend."

"Don't forget to order their yoghurt and honey mousse," Steven quickly added.

Staring at him and blinking in disbelief, Wallace said, "Not even a legendary Pokémon could make you forget your favorite desert, apparently."

Making a face that was something of a pout and very unlike Steven, he replied, "We've been ordering from Papagalos for years, Wallace. Additionally, I think I deserve to have my favorite desert, considering how my day has been."

"How can you say that, when you don't even remember half of your day?" Wallace asked immediately following with sass, but quickly followed it with, "Exactly." Wallace relieved himself of his seat and started to leave the room with his Pokénav and said, "which is why we're ordering from there. It was always your favorite, that _I_ remember. Time to start trying anything and everything to jog your memory."

Wallace left the dining room to place the order, leaving Steven and May alone in silence. After a bit of twiddling her thumbs, trying to avert her eyes from whatever possible embarrassing look amnesia-Steven was giving her, she finally uttered, "Wallace has a good point. Until we know for sure just what Uxie did to you, whether it actually erased your memories, or if it just made you forget, and they're still retrievable, we should see if we can work toward you regaining your memories naturally."

When she finished, she looked at Steven, and unsurprisingly, he was staring at her again, but with that signature soft smile of his that May knew all too well. Immediately embarrassed, May blushed, and quickly said in confusion, "What?"

"Sorry," Steven said right away, turning his face away toward the table again, becoming a common theme of the evening, and a blush gracing his cheeks to match May's, "but I'm finding it hard to not just look at you. While I still have a clear memory of some things, I'm also feeling like a blank slate at times, especially with you. I really am sorry."

May let go of a nonjudgmental sigh, although she was still unsure of as to why not remembering her required him to stare at her so intently. "No, I'm sorry," she said, trying her best to understand. "I really can't be upset with you about anything, Steven. None of this is your fault."

"I get that, but at the same time, I can't help but feel this overwhelming guilt," Steven admitted, still looking down at the table. Despite herself, May placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and said, "Hey, it's okay. Well, that's a lie. This all is really _not_ okay, but we're going to make it okay, okay? I promise."

Steven lifted his head at the contact, and searched May's face with his eyes before responding, "I think I'd like to know about how you know my father, now."

May retracted her hand and laughed tenderly. "Of course."

That was the start of May explaining everything, from the beginning. She depicted retrieving the Devon Goods, illustrated making deliveries and saving the museum in Slateport. Wallace eventually returned, having been gone much longer than necessary to place a phone order, but then excused himself to pick up dinner. May continued on, retelling the tale of Mt. Chimney, Southern Island, Latios and Latias, of the Weather Center, of mega evolution, of Mt. Pyre, of the Space Center.

Wallace returned, and the house was immediately filled with the smell of garlic and oregano, and May's stomach did some talking that could be heard a Pokémile away. Wallace brought the bags of takeout to the table and starting pulling out dishes, along with paper plates and disposable silverware.

"You're just in time to help me explain everything with the Cave of Origin, Wallace," May said, immediately loading her plate with a huge helping of dolmas and haloumi salad.

"Yes of course, help yourself," Wallace replied in a snarky tone, "and yes of course, I can relieve you of your story-telling responsibilities for awhile."

They dove into dinner while Wallace and May continued to narrate for Steven all of his and May's adventures that he had forgotten. He handled the news of being dethroned of his champion title and position better than they anticipated, but that may have partially been due to him having started his honey mousse by that point.

It was an information overload, and discussing everything with Rayquaza and Zinnia took them well into the later hours of the night.

"So…" May began tentatively, "did any of this help at all?"

"It certainly helped put some things into understanding for me, but I can't say that I organically or naturally remember any of what you've told me," Steven said, a look of loss back on his face. "Most of it I can hardly imagine to begin with, as it all seems so fantastical."

"Well, hopefully soon, you won't have to try to imagine it, and you'll remember," May said sweetly, as she tried to give her best encouraging smile.

Wallace gave a glance at his Pokénav, and yawned in instinct at seeing what time it was. "Not to play concerned parent or anything, but we should all contemplate getting some rest," he said, getting up and starting to clear the table. "There are still several things that we need to discuss and plot out, and with that in consideration, tomorrow might be another long day for us. You're both of course welcome to stay here, as I've got spare bedrooms for the both of you."

Neither May or Steven put up an argument, and the three helped one another clean up from dinner. After all was said and done, Wallace led them to the rooms they'd be staying in. "May, you'll be staying in the room Lisia usually stays in when she visits," Wallace explained, "She comes over often, so there should be pajamas that you'll fit in, if you're interested."

May thanked him, and after bidding both men goodnight, dipped into the spare bedroom. It was a complete contrast from having spent the entire evening in the modern dining room, because, even though it was a _spare_ bedroom for Lisia, it was still cut out for a princess. The bed was high off the ground, surrounded by four posts and draped with light blue mesh. There was an enormous Altaria plushie in one corner of the bed. The dresser against the wall was set up like what you'd see in a dressing room for a movie or television show, completely decked out for makeovers.

May opened one of Lisia's drawers, and felt relieved. For whatever reason, she had a feeling that, based on Lisia and Wallace's _flair_, that Lisia's pajamas were going to be something ridiculous that May would never wear in a hundred years. Luckily for her, right on top was a basic blue shorts set, covered in a design depicting shiny Swablu.

After changing and crawling into the huge princess-like bed, May had a hard time anticipating sleep. There was just too much to think about. At least Steven was being cooperative. After thinking about it, May realized that, all things considered, Steven probably reacted in the best way possible today, and his reactions could have been much, much worse.

May turned onto her side, hoping that maybe a different position would induce sleep, but after several minutes of steeping in thoughts from the day, still no luck. How could she possibly sleep? Too much had happened in the day, and thinking that it all would have exhausted her to the point of passing out, May only felt herself wired and unable to focus on a single thought or idea for very long.

Then there was still the question of the disappearing of Mossdeep and the appearance of other islands that were clearly not from other areas of Hoenn. How was something like _that_ even possible? Wallace seemed to know a lot of Pokémon mythology, but if he had any theories on it, he probably would have shared them by now.

And what of Mossdeep? The island was probably in hysterics by now, and reporters were probably knocking on Steven's door all day, keeping their eyes peeled for his return. May realized that keeping Steven hidden from the press was just one more thing she needed to add to her extreme to-do list. The entire nation didn't need to know about his incident with Uxie, or at least, not yet, before his memories came back.

Which led to the actuality of Steven's memories. They didn't know for sure just what Uxie did to Steven's brain, if it actually _erased_ his memories, or if it did something of a locking away, making his memories temporarily inaccessible.

And then, if Wallace's hypothesis as to _why_ Steven's memories of the past two years were taken was true, just thinking about it made May's face beet red and press her face into her pillow.

A weak knocking at her door interrupted her private embarrassment, and before she had the chance to react with anything more than jumping to a seated upright position, she heard the doorknob turn and the clicking of the lockset as the door slowly opened inward. Revealed in the doorway was the silver-haired young adult himself, stripped down to a white sleeveless shirt and plain black pajama pants.

If May had had any chance of falling asleep within the next few minutes, it had disappeared. Her heart now in her throat at seeing him in his current attire, having hardly seen him in anything other than his usual suit, May had a hard time conceptualizing what she was seeing. While she was unable to speak, Steven invited himself into her room, closing the door behind him.

Finally, May managed a, "What are you doing in here?!" Her heart was pounding. Here she was, sitting in bed, in the dark, in her pajamas, while Steven approached her, wearing much less than she was used to seeing him in.

"I'm so sorry," he said quickly in return, what had seemed like approaching her now turning into a small pace around the room, "but I am completely unable to sleep. I'm too restless."

May was trying her best to find understanding for Steven's predicament, as it affected her directly as well, but in a different angle. Scooting to sit at the edge of the bed, May twisted on a small lamp that sat on the nightstand next to the bed, putting the room in a soft glow, and patted the mattress in the space next to her for Steven to sit. He stopped his pacing, and visibly hesitated, but came to sit next to May nonetheless.

"Please forgive me for barging into your room," Steven started apologizing again, "I really don't know what to do with myself-"

"Really, it's okay I get it," May said, cutting him of. "Today's been really confusing. I'm kind of glad you came in here, I've been having trouble sleeping as well."

"There's something I simply cannot stop thinking about, and I can't wrap my brain around it, although that might be for obvious reasons," Steven said, articulating his words carefully, head in his hands. His hair was a tussled mess, so different from the perfectly shaped style that May was so used to seeing. He evidently had at least _tried_ to sleep.

"Well, if you want to ask me questions, I'm all ears for you, Steven, and I'll do the best I can do answer," May replied, turning toward him, lifting one leg up onto the mattress with her knee bent so that she could better angle herself toward him.

"Forgive me if this is pushing any boundaries but," Steven had been looking down into his lap, but pushed himself to make eye contact when he asked, "May, what am I to you?"

Instantly thankful for the dim lighting, May had a hard time processing the question, despite the inquiry being the very reason for the rush of heat to her face. _What _is_ Steven to me?!_ May thought in alarm. Fretting over how to word her answer, her emotions only heightened when she realized that Steven was desperately looking her in the eyes, anticipating her response. May gulped, and it felt so loud to her, which led her to hoping that Steven couldn't hear the sound of her ever-growing heartbeat. It then flickered across her mind that it was probably best to be as honest as possible, in hopes that this was something that could possibly help jog his memory.

"Steven, you're very important to me…" she began, congratulating herself in her mind for a good start, and tried to continue, "You've helped me grow, not only as a Pokémon trainer, but as a person, and I feel forever indebted to you." Face completely flushed but luckily hidden under the level of light in the room, May decided that her answer was sufficient for the time being.

Steven was silent for a moment, probably processing, and eventually whispered, "I see." May carefully watched his face under the dim lighting to try to read any thoughts or emotions that were possibly passing through, but she was finding it difficult to interpret anything. What became even more difficult to interpret, was when she felt his large hand covering hers on the bed, now becoming a familiar sensation, but still heightening her hormones regardless.

Eventually, Steven spoke up again, "I inherently find myself wanting to trust you and be near you." Her brain turned to mush, and she jolted her face back in his direction. She had to keep in mind that everything he was saying was how he felt, and potentially hinted at his condition. "Whatever was between us," he continued, keeping his voice soft, "whatever connection we had or still have, is still here, inside of me. I just can't remember it."

Had she heard him right? No, May could not let her get ahead of herself. She responded almost in reflex, "Even though the memories are gone, the emotions remain…"

"Although I can't remember anything about you, I can't help myself wanting to stay in your company," Steven said, furrowing his brows, and squeezing May's hand. He inched closer to her, if that was possible, and May felt her heart pound. "I have no idea what's going on, but I feel safe by your side," he added, looking back into her eyes again. May felt herself melting all over again, with an added element thanks to the look of desperation in Steven's eyes that directly translated into her heart.

"Steven, I'm not going anywhere," May said, bringing her other hand to cup over Steven's that was already on her own, so she could hold his hand with both of hers, "I can assure you, I'm going to help you get your memories back, and we're going to continue our adventures, just like we always do."

Those were the words that set off the trap, and time slipped into slow motion as May watched Steven draw his free hand toward her face, caressing her cheek. She watched in silence as his light blue eyes came closer to her vision, and her head was tilted in his hand, the warmth of his breath now on her lips, her chest tightening in disbelief of the reality currently unfolding before her. This had been what she always wanted, and now it was all so real: the firm, yet delicate touch of his hand caressing her face, getting lost in his dreamy blue eyes, the sensation of his breath so close to her mouth…

_No._

_This wasn't right._

"No." May abruptly leaned back, tilting her head downcast and to the side. It pained her and twisted her insides, but she knew there was no way what was about to happen could be okay, "Steven, you can't. _We_…can't. You don't…you don't even remember who I am," she choked out, relieved she snapped herself into the seriousness of their situation, but still finding her position no less difficult to handle. She couldn't bring herself to look at him, knowing that whatever look on his face would only further complicate the way she was feeling. "You're running on emotions alone. I, I wouldn't feel right about this, with you not even knowing my name had I not told you what it was."

May felt a rush of coolness as Steven quickly removed himself from her side, practically leaping off of the bed at her reaction and explanation. In a flash, Steven was back at the door, his hand already on the doorknob.

"May, I'm so sorry," his voice pleaded weakly, the sound of him so broken causing May's stomach to lurch and her chest tighten. She listlessly lifted her head to see him facing the door, his forehead pressed against the doorframe, eyes shut tightly. "I'm lost and vulnerable, May. The way my heart feels when I look at you…that has been the only clear understanding I've found in my state of perplexity…but that is still absolutely no excuse for my behavior," he continued, his voice dripping with hopelessness. "If…you can't forgive me, I understand. I'll see you in the morning."

May watched as he quickly dismissed himself, leaving her alone again in the guest bedroom. She needed to sleep, but there was no way it was finding her tonight.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! All logged-in reviews get a reply, but seeing reviews from guests makes my heart just as warm~!<strong>

**Additionally, Valentine's Day is coming up, and I'd like to write at least one hoennshipping one-shot. If you have prompts, feel free to PM me! See you next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for such a long wait! Hopefully this will be the longest it ever takes me to update. And here I missed Valentine's Day, White Day, St. Patty's Day, so many lost fanfic opportunities! All I have to say is that grad school is very real. As always, please enjoy this chapter!**

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><p><em>Of Hoops and Holists – Chapter 4<em>

_Steven had left more than just a Pokéball and a letter._

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><p>"What's the format for these reports again?"<p>

"One inch margins, 1.5 spaced, Times New Azalean."

It was morning, and Steven and May found themselves sitting again at Wallace's table, the smell of hot syrup and pancakes in the air. They were both at laptops, typing away. Steven had a small, black mole-skinned notebook open next to his laptop, pages full of chicken-scratch.

"Don't hold back, _please_," Wallace snarked. He was at the counter, making pancakes for breakfast, because he insisted that they all needed them that morning. Wallace was obviously being sassy, because without even looking back at them, he could feel the undefined awkwardness from the silence of May and Steven.

"Sorry," May said, "I'm just trying to make sure I type everything out, and I don't want to miss any details."

Wallace began to serve up a few plates, and carried them to the table, placing them in front of the two, then grabbing his own, and joining them at the table. May went ahead and began to eat, while Steven didn't flinch, continuing to type.

"All the more reason the two of you should be having some kind of a dialogue. I don't know what shenanigans you two got into after I fell asleep last night," Wallace said, "but Steven, you need to eat."

Instead of lifting his head up, Steven just lifted his eyes to glare at Wallace from under his silver hair. Even while glaring at him, Steven never stopped typing.

Picking up his fork, Wallace chimed, "Ah, there's the Steven I remember, specifically after a long night of research."

Steven rolled his eyes at Wallace, pushed his laptop to the side, and closed his notebook. He pulled the plate of pancakes in front of him and readied himself to eat. "I just wanted to finish transcribing," Steven said matter-of-factly, "I apparently was jotting down notes about the islands I was visiting. Finishing that, for now, is the only contribution that I can make at this point that I feel is valid, considering my lack of first-person memory. Everything regarding Mossdeep and…_Uxie_, would only be second-hand information based on what the two of you have narrated to me."

"Oh, yeah," May responded between bites, "I can…write that part up." Wallace chuckled, noticing the stark difference in behavior between May and Steven. May hadn't hesitated for a moment to start eating when he set her breakfast in front of her. Steven hadn't flinched and had continued typing his report. May pushed her plate aside and pulled her laptop in front of her once more, continuing her account.

Steven finished his breakfast in haste, and feverishly looked around the room as May continued to type and Wallace took his time finishing his meal. Wallace picked up on this, and paused to look at Steven with a raised eyebrow in concern.

"Sorry…" Steven muttered, forcing himself to look down into his lap, where he began to fold his hands, "I just really don't know what to do with myself, or where to go from here. I want to keep exploring and researching the phenomenon of these islands because I feel that that's important, but…" he trailed off, and he lifted a hand over his small black notebook that was still on the table. "I'm having a difficult time hypothesizing what our next plan of action should be, what with me not organically having recollection of events of the past two years…"

"Which I think is completely understandable," Wallace picked up for Steven where he trailed off, "I know you've always felt this sense of duty towards Hoenn, Steven, but I think now is as good of a time as ever to put those feelings of obligation on hold, and focus on you."

After tapping his index finger a few times against his notebook, Steven spoke up again. "May, once you've finished…would you accompany me to Granite Cave?" he asked slowly and articulately, but with a hint of sheepishness. "If that's the last thing I remember, and also the place of our first meeting, then perhaps if we revisited together, it could help out with my memory."

Before May could do so much as look up from her laptop at Steven and blink, Wallace had already begun to speak. "I think that's a marvelous idea!" he chimed, and began to clear the table. "While you're gone, I'm going to make some calls. I'm becoming heavily interested in these Plates, especially now that I'm realizing there might be potential in learning about them and learning about more of the lore of Uxie and the _3 of spirit_."

"I appreciate it," Steven said.

"What, you think I'm interested in all of that because of _you_?" Wallace naturally sassed, but changed his tone the moment he saw Steven's face fall in shame. "I…no. Steven, while all of these myths astound me, I think that we can all agree here," he continued, motioning toward May, who evidently was finishing up as she closed the laptop and looked expectantly in return, "that our main focus right now is finding a path toward you getting your memory back."

"Wallace," May started, followed with a sigh, "You had only hinted at it last night, but…do you think that Uxie, and everything with these islands, is leading to something, you know…bigger? Not to cause unnecessary hype, but I think, considering our, yaknow, _history_, I can only help but wonder."

Wallace hummed. "I don't want to cause any potential worry either, but…" he said, making sure to collect his thoughts before continuing, "Legendary Pokémon only meddle in our lives if they feel we have somehow threatened theirs. A little bit of research at this point is the least I can do, before we go making anyone else upset without knowing it."

"And you're sure I wasn't a tyrant?" Steven asked again.

"Goodness, Steven, no!" Wallace cried, dramatically spinning around from the kitchen sink to face Steven, hands full of suds. "May, please, get him out of here. We need to work on his memories, pronto."

"Oh, y-yeah," May said. "Let me just go pack up my things." She excused herself from the table, and disappeared into the guest bedroom in which she stayed.

Steven pocketed his notebook from the table, and slumped into his chair. "Wallace?"

Wallace rinsed his hands off, dried, and pulled himself a chair to sit down again at the table with Steven.

"You need to be careful, Steven." Wallace said, "May's trying her best to do what she can for you, and you need her right now."

"I…understand that much, but," Steven replied, brow furrowed, "I think I already ruined this."

Wallace immediately narrowed his eyes at Steven and said, "Oh, I know, Steven. These walls aren't soundproof."

Steven's face visibly paled, and his stomach lurched.

"I mean, I don't know _exactly_ what happened, but, well, just _what_ happened in there? Just what were you trying to accomplish?"

"Or, I guess you don't have to tell me, but…" Wallace added after he swore he could see the steam spewing out of Steven's red-stricken ears after his question, "in all seriousness, we need to be keeping an eye out for disturbances. Take care on your way to Dewford. I'll be seeing what literature I can get ahold of and getting in touch with some contacts. Is there anyone in particular you'd like me to seek out?"

"Cynthia."

"…are you sure?"

Steven only side-eyed Wallace. "Absolutely. I'm unaware if she has published any of her findings yet, but, the last I remember, she had been spending most of her time researching the Legendary Pokémon of Sinnoh. Hopefully she'll know something about Uxie. And with Sinnoh being the home of the Plates as well, maybe she'll know something about them."

"Alright…" Wallace started, folding his hands in his lap, "just making sure. I just don't want things getting _sticky_ for you now that May's in the mix."

"Which is why _you're_ getting in touch with her, not me," Steven replied, and then snarkily added as he stood up from the table, getting ready to leave, "while you're at it, get in touch with Winona as well, would you?"

Wallace had evidently not expected Steven to add that last bit, as his face fell, his mouth slightly agape.

"Don't tell me you haven't talked to her once in the past two years?" Steven immediately remarked in response to Wallace's expression.

"Of course I have!" Wallace shot back, "things have just been, _hectic_, lately."

"You can say that again," Steven said, now packing his last things into a backpack that was on the couch. May entered the room, evidently ready to head out.

"Thanks so much for your hospitality, Wallace," May thanked him.

"The pleasure is all mine, May," Wallace replied, "but now, let's focus on Steven and working him back to where his brain used to be, although, I'd be lying if I said I didn't like this empty-headed Steven at least a little."

Steven side-eyed Wallace for maybe the 50th time that day, and it was hardly ten o'clock. Catching this, May suggested, "Alright, Steven, we better get going…" May was already almost out the door.

"Yes, yes, okay," Steven replied, quickly grabbing his things to follow suit, only throwing a hand in a wave at Wallace, and adding in a smirk at him as he closed the door on his way out. "We're on our way! See you later, Wallace!"

"So, _Miss_ May, what's our plan of action?" Steven asked, following May down the crater city's paths as she pulled her Eon flute from her fanny pack.

The plan was to land in Lilycove. After some awkward deliberation, Steven and May decided that with the combination of riding together for 7 hours to Dewford was a little much at the moment, and additionally, deciding it best to let Latias and Latios rest, considering all the flying they'd been doing for them as of late. They agreed to fly as far as Lilycove, where they could take the S.S. Tidal to Slateport, and either fly to Dewford or ride with Mr. Briney. After landing in Lilycove, they would head straight to the City Harbor, and board the S.S. Tidal as inconspicuously as possible.

And it had almost worked.

May and Steven were inside the Harbor, just about to secure their place on the ship headed to Slateport.

"I'm sorry, but, there's only one open cabin left on the ship," the attendant said, "would you still like the room?"

May and Steven had only briefly glanced at each other in a moment's embarrassment, when a voice from the entrance caused them both to turn their heads again and look.

"There they are! It's Champion May _and_ Steven Stone! And they're about to get a **cabin together on the S.S. Tidal!"**

"Yes we are," May cursorily muttered, taking no hesitation in whipping out her wallet from her fanny pack and pulling a card out, slipping it into the attendant's hands. "We'll take it, and quickly," May said, with urging eyes. It was impossible for the attendant to not understand, and she hastily complied, lifting the red velvet line holder for the two to pass, and immediately placing it back after the two had passed into the ship.

The attendant only had the biggest grin on her face when the reporters approached the entrance to the ship. "Sorry, but that was our last cabin. The next ferry leaves in about two hours. Would you like to reserve spots on the next trip?"

Now on the ship, and safe from the reporters, May and Steven were able to relax, at least a little bit.

"Alright, we're in cabin 2…" May said, leading the way down the hallway, using a key to let them through the door. Once they were inside the small room, May could only give a soft giggle. "It's nice to be the one calling the shots like this."

Steven could only raise an eyebrow at her, to which May replied, "Sorry, I just mean it was kind of exciting to decide something like that in the moment myself."

Closing the door behind him and helping himself to the small dining table to remove his pack, Steven's brow was furrowed. "You make it sound like I…made you do things?" he said with a hesitantly questioning ring, and he lifted his head up from the table to look at May, who was still standing by the door.

"What?" May immediately responded, her cheeks instantly taking a rosy hue. "No, no, nothing like that," she said, waving her hands in front of her face, "I just meant that, well…" she faltered. Steven had certainly heavily persuaded many of her major decisions in the past 2 years, and it would be a lie to say otherwise. Would she have done anything differently? Not particularly. But it would also be a lie to say that most of her major decision-making was absolutely influenced by Steven.

"I'm sorry that I can't remember," Steven said, filling in the silence that May left. May looked up at him from across the small room, and there he was, with that sad soft smile again, that look that May still didn't know how to interpret the way it made her feel.

"Steven," May replied in the most honest voice she could muster, "you have nothing to apologize for. At least, not concerning your memory. We have no idea why Uxie did this, or what's going on with Hoenn right now."

Watching his head look back down at his pack on the table, but his expression not change at all, May offered, "Hey, I think I'd like to explore the ship a little bit. Do you want to come with me?"

Steven offered her another soft smile, this time with his eyes closed, then looked away again before answering, "That's okay, you go ahead. I think I've got some meditating to do."

May tried her best to keep her chin up, despite hoping he'd come with, and said, "That's okay. I'll keep the ringer on my Pokénav on loud in case you need anything," and excused herself from the cabin.

Truthfully, May wanted to head to the deck to chat with the captain, and Steven not accompanying her could possibly help keep that conversation less complicated for now, considering his current condition. Still, she couldn't help but worry, as he was having a hard time not acting like an abandoned Skiddo about the whole thing.

Carrying herself mildly, May walked down the hall toward the entrance to the deck, kindly waving at anyone who recognized her, but continuing to walk with a purpose so as to not be stopped by anyone.

The deck was less crowded that usual, but still not empty by any means. May tried to not seem too focused as she made her way past the tables of the young and laughing socialites that frequented the S.S. Tidal.

"Had I ever told you that Archie and I were once shipmates?" the old man at the wheel said to May as she approached his side. The captain was no other than Drake of the Hoenn Elite Four, and he always had a peculiar way of greeting her when she came to talk to him on the ship.

"I don't believe you have," May said, "and that's an awfully odd thing to have prepared to say to me first thing."

"Always full of determination, that one," Drake continued, not taking his eyes off of the sea before him, "although, had I known what that determination had been for, specifically, well…let's just say I'm not without my regrets."

May crunched her forehead in response and said, "No way…you can't mean you think you could have predicted his ideals?"

Drake gave a hearty chuckle in response, "Can't say it doesn't cross my mind from time to time these days, lass. Now, Miss May, to what do I owe the pleasure of having a beaut like you on my ship?"

"I wanted to see how things have been on your usual route," May said, getting straight to the point, "and I want to know if you've seen anything weird lately. In general."

"Yer askin' bout the islands, aren't ya."

"So you've seen them?!" May asked with a bit of excitement.

Drake took a deep sigh, and glanced at May for a moment before closing his eyes. "I see various islands from time to time. At first I chummed them up as mirages on these old eyes out at sea for so long. But then I overheard some of the regulars on deck starting to notice the irregularities as well, and I knew it wasn't just me."

"It's definitely not just you," May assured him, "Steven's apparently been attempting to research them for some time now."

"Ah, so the two of ya have come to police me then, eh? For not having said something to The League about this sooner? I hope you can give an old sea dog a break."

"Woah, no way, it's nothing like that," May immediately responded. "And even then, I still have a really hard time seeing myself as, you know, higher ranked than you."

"Atta girl!" Drake's voice boomed, quickly followed by another hearty laugh. For coming off as such a hard-ass most of the time, there was something about the way Drake laughed, had you the chance to hear it, that made you want to bottle it and keep it for the darkest times. "So what're the two of ya makin' of these islands, then?"

"Well, nothing quite set in stone, as of yet," May said, her voice hesitant. "We have our thoughts that there's a Pokémon of some sort that's contributing in some way, but even then, those are only speculations. We don't have much to go off of. Well, except," May added, having a certain realization, "there was one island we visited that we know is most likely from the Sinnoh region. You'll read this in our upcoming reports, but, we encountered Uxie on that island."

Drake grunted. "I hardly read those reports, but it sounds like I'll probably need to start. Continue."

May decided that for now, it was probably best to keep Steven's amnesia under wraps. "I feel like I've done a lot of talking, though. And that's pretty much it. What do you make of these islands? And do you know anything about Sinnoh lore?" May asked.

"To be perfectly honest, Sinnoh is one region that I hardly know anything about," Drake answered. "Hate to say it, but it's the truth. As for these islands, well…" he trailed off before continuing to speak. "I'm still uncertain of just what to think, and I hate jumping to conclusions. But I can tell you one thing: my Pokémon know that something is wrong, and they don't like what's been going on in Hoenn one bit. Have you tried consulting your Pokémon for what they think?"

May was ashamed. The thought hadn't even occurred to her. Had she even paid attention to how her Swampert felt when she called upon him on the island with Uxie? What kind of champion was she, that she hadn't even checked her Pokémon's feelings regarding the regional changes?

Her silence was enough of an answer for Drake, and he closed his eyes, and grunted once more. "Miss May, I think it'd be wise for you to rest up in your cabin for a bit. Assuming the weather stays clear, we have maybe two hours more on the sea before docking in Slateport, and I have a feeling that once we land there, you'll be as lively as always."

"You're not wrong," May responded lightly, bringing a hand to tuck back a strand of hair that blew loose from a sudden breeze. Drake was right about the weather; they couldn't have asked for clearer skies, and a perfect day to be at sea. "I guess I'll get going now," she said, about to leave for her cabin, "but thanks for the talk. I really appreciate it. I need to listen to my Pokémon more when I'm unsure of what to do."

"Aye Miss May, you take care."

When May reentered her cabin, she found Steven passed out in a chair, slumped over the small table, using his pack as a pillow. He had said meditating, but it looked like he meant napping. May walked over to the bed and removed the top blanket, using it to cover Steven's sleeping body, and then allowed herself to curl up in the bed. He didn't have the wrong idea, and it couldn't hurt to listen to Drake. There was no doubt that once they landed in Slateport, they would be busy bodies as always, so a nap didn't seem like a terrible idea. It wouldn't be terribly hard to fall asleep to the swaying of the ship and the sound of waves crashing against the hull.

"Mnmm, please, five more minutes."

"May, please, we've safely arrived in Slateport. It's time to go."

…or that's at least what May was pretty sure she heard. She was about to drowsily protest once more, until she felt cool fingers pushing her bangs back to reveal her forehead. It was the touch of metal rings that caused her to jolt into an upright sitting position.

May was clearly disheveled, clutching the sheet to her chest as she stared at Steven with wide eyes. "I'm awake!" she blurted.

Steven couldn't hide his blush. He knew he probably shouldn't have touched May like that, but he didn't know how else to try to wake her. Just talking to her hadn't worked, and he didn't want to do anything that wasn't gentle. Still, he could still feel how soft her hair was in his fingers, and he cursed himself for the lingering thought.

"I hope you're feeling well-rested, "Steven managed, now forcing himself to walk to the table and grab his backpack, "are you ready to depart?"

"Uh, yeah…" May resonded, still taking a moment to take in her surroundings. She must've napped pretty hard, because she was feeling pretty hazy, "but forgive me if I seem aloof. I'm still waking up."

Steven couldn't help a chuckle. "I imagine at this rate, it's only courteous for me to be nothing but forgiving, considering what you've probably had to mentally go through with me so far."

May took care sliding off of the bed, and joined Steven in leaving the cabin. A sailor was waiting just outside of their door, ready to escort them off of the ship, and his cheeks were rosy with assumptions.

"Thank you, but this isn't terribly necessary," Steven said to the sailor escort as they walked down the hall.

"Forgive me, Mr. Stone, but I'm actually supposed to warn you for what's waiting for the both of you when you get off of the ship," the sailor replied as he was about to lead them through the exit.

Steven stopped walking, and put a hand up for May to stop walking as well. "Warn us? Whatever of?" Steven cautiously and sternly asked, "and _please_, call me _Steven_…"

The sailor's hat was now in his hands, and he almost looked ashamed, as his eyes set downcast. He was clearly young, as was directed with what to say. "I'm sorry, Mr. Sto…_Steven_, but…apparently it caught wind that the two of you caught the ferry for Slateport , so…there might be a hoard of reporters waiting for you in the harbor."

Steven was about to speak, until he noticed that May already had a Pokéball in one hand, and her Eon flute in the other.

"I'm sorry, we didn't get your name," May sweetly said to the sailor, despite her hands depicting that she was ready for action.

"Uh, it's Elroy, Miss Maple."

"Thank you so much for the warning, Elroy, I really appreciate it," May said to the sailor, her words dripping with charm. "Steven, stay close to me and do as I say."

Steven eyed the young heroine cautiously but stayed close as she exited the ship. He was about to make a comment about her evidently being more awake now, but anyone would have been jumped awake at the sight and sound before them as soon as they stepped off of the ship.

"Champion May!"

"Steven Stone!"

"Is it true you shared a cabin together?"

"What's the occasion?"

"What does Gym Leader Norman think of your rendezvous?"

Without missing a beat, May tossed her Pokéball out at the water in the harbor, and leapt out onto her Swampert just as he materialized. She expectantly looked back at Steven with urgency, who needed a moment to realize the moment, and after a two second delay, jumped on Swampert's back as well. The buzz of reporters' voices and cameras' clicks only increased as Swampert ferried them out of the harbor and into the sunlight, where May swiftly blew the calling melody, and in a flash, Latias was there. She lowered herself to almost touching the water so that May and Steven could easily climb aboard her back, and May withdrew her Swampert, and with that, they were high up in the sky, headed towards Dewford.

"Man, we should've timed that!" May called out over her shoulder at Steven, "I bet we got out of there in thirty seconds flat!"

"I appreciate your cheery demeanor, May, but," Steven answered, still looking back and down at the harbor, now with reporters spilling outside and plenty of cameras catching their escape, "do the reporters not worry you in the slightest? You realize that all of this is going to be plastered on every television in Hoenn for the rest of the day, right?"

Steven felt May take a deep breath, reminding him that he was maybe holding onto her waist too tightly, and he loosened. "Are you saying you're not impressed?" she replied over her shoulder, "inventing escape routes used to be your area of expertise."

"That…" Steven started, paused, and blinked a few times to himself, "Is not what I was saying at all. Did reporters bother us like this before?"

"On occasion, but nothing this full blown out," May said. She egged Latias to make a sharp dip, causing Steven's to tighten his arms around May's waist. May only smirked over her shoulder. "They know we tend to escape from them like this with Latias and Latios, though, so this song and dance isn't horribly new news."

"Well, at least no one knows we're headed to Dewford," Steven said, attempting to sound matter-of-factly, "and thank goodness it isn't a terribly long flight."

He wasn't wrong. They could already see Dewford's beaches in the horizon, and slowly, several fishermen popped up in their line of vision.

"To play it safe, we should probably land as close as possible to the entrance of Granite Cave," May said.

Latias managed to land them practically in front of the cave's entrance, exactly what May had wanted. Steven had already prepared his flashlight, and they headed inside.

As they entered the cave, May couldn't help but feel her face growing warm as she remembered the reason they decided to come to Granite Cave. Yes, this was for Steven's sake and an attempt to return some of his memories, but specifically, memories of _her_. The first time May had come to Granite Cave, that had been when she met Steven for the first time, learned about the ancient Pokémon of Hoenn for the first time, and altogether when the journey for her had _truly_ started.

"So, where was it specifically that we met?" Steven asked as they walked along, jerking May out of her thoughts.

"Oh, uh, the large open room, with the huge murals," May responded, as they made their way down the cavern leading to said room. "You had been studying the walls when I came in. It wasn't anything particularly momentous, but it was still our first meeting, nonetheless," she added, trying to mentally punch out the Beautiflies that were invading her stomach.

They entered the large room, and May could hear Steven audibly gasp. She eyed him with peculiarity, but in an instant remembered that he had lost all memory of this place. She stopped walking and watched as he slowly continued to step forward, looking all around him. Essentially seeing this room for the first time at this point, May could only imagine the wonder that was going through the geology-enthusiast's brain.

Spinning on his heel to face May, Steven declared, "Let's have a battle!"

May only coughed awkwardly. "Um, what? All of a sudden?"

Steven had already drawn a Pokéball from within his jacket and said, "Doesn't it seem right? Here we are, where we first met, so why not engage in what ties us together? Besides, I'm sure a good battle would do us both some good."

May had to admit that Steven's rationality had a good point, although the words _engage in what ties us together_ were ringing in her ears the hardest. Before she could agree, Steven had already thrown his Pokéball between them, and the gray jewel Pokémon Carbink materialized before them.

"That's…strange, I don't ever remember raising a Carbink…" Steven started to say, and seemed as though he was going to continue to speak, but his voice trailed off as he stared intently at his rock and fairy typed Pokémon.

"Steven?" May asked, minor worry in her voice, "Steven, you okay?"

"I think I…remember?"

May felt her chest tighten. "Steven, remember what?" she asked, voice growing with excitement. "Steven, what do you remember?"

Steven's lips were pressed tight, and pink spread across his whole face. "I caught this Carbink because it reminded me…of you."


End file.
